We knew the boat would leave on time so we made sure to be at the port early
in the morning. The boat ride back to San Carlos was once more a trip full
of birds and beautiful views of the river. We saw again how this boat functions
as a bus in the water, picking up and dropping off people along the road. When
we arrived at San Carlos three hours later, we had plenty of time before the
boat to Solentiname would leave. This meant we could check our e-mail, wander
around in San Carlos, and prepare for the Solentiname visit.

When we discussed our planned visit to the island archipelago with someone
from San Carlos, she highly recommended bringing shorts and t-shirts, because
the temperature would be even higher than in San Carlos. Unfortunately, I had
forgotten to bring shorts so I had to find some shorts in San Carlos. A tiny
store nearby offered in addition to office supplies and food also some clothes
for sale. Thanks to this great product diversification I was able to find large,
bright yellow shorts that I could even try on in a tiny dressing room filled
with boxes and supplies. We left for Solentiname not much later.

The Solentiname archipelago consists of 36 islands, located 15 kilometers
from San Carlos. Several of these islands can be seen from the mainland. As
we came closer, we could see more and more of the natural beauty of the area.
All of the islands are covered with trees and some of them house large bird
colonies. We got off at the largest island of the archipelago, called Mancarrón,
where we would stay for the next couple of days. This is one of the few inhabited
islands, and it is famous for its primitive handicrafts. In fact, this is a
specialty of the whole archipelago, introduced in the 1960’s by Ernesto
Cardenal.

After we settled in the spacious and comfortable Mancarrun
Hotel, we visited
a neighboring village to see the artisans at work. Most of the people in this
village – called El Refugio – are dedicated to the creation of
handicrafts using a special type of very light wood. This wood is cut, carpeted,
polished, and painted by the same artisan or artisan family, operating from
their home. We observed the people at work on their patio while they explained
how the process of creating handicrafts works. During a conversation with one
of the artisans, I did not notice that their pet monkey that was tied up to
a tree had sufficient freedom to reach the place where I stood, and it was
quite a surprise when the White Face Monkey suddenly jumped on my arm and climbed
to my head. After the people who saw this happen (including Róger) had
a good laugh, the monkey was removed from my head and we continued our village
tour.

At one of the houses, handicrafts from many different artisans in the village
are brought together and offered for sale. Another option to buy handicrafts
is to visit the artisans and buy from them directly. While we wandered through
the tranquil village we spoke to several inhabitants, and we found out there
were a couple hiking possibilities on the island, and when we returned to the
hotel we discussed the possibilities and arranged a guide for the next day.

Mancarrón Island – as well as the other inhabited islands of
the Solentiname Archipelago – is relatively undeveloped, still lacking
electricity, telephone lines, and even paved roads. There are no cars on any
of the islands, and most people move around either by foot or by boat (for
larger distances or to visit other islands). The Mancarrun Hotel is one of
the few places on the island with electricity, provided by solar panels during
the day and a generator in the evening, which is obviously very convenient.
However, when the generator is turned off at night and there is no more light
in the area, the darkness creates another magnificent natural setting. Frogs
in all sizes as well as noisy crickets and other insects filled the air with
sound while we observed thousands and thousands of stars in the dark sky. And
without any Chayules. Not bad.